U.S. patent number 8,348,206 [Application Number 12/335,617] was granted by the patent office on 2013-01-08 for electronic device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Chao-Zhong Fu, Jian Li, Jin-Xin Wang, Li-Jun Yuan.
United States Patent |
8,348,206 |
Wang , et al. |
January 8, 2013 |
Electronic device
Abstract
An electronic device includes a frame having a protrusion, a
support, and a hinge assembly. The hinge assembly rotatably
connects the frame and the support. The hinge assembly includes an
elastic member providing a force pulling the frame and the support
to move towards each other. The protrusion of the frame and the
support cooperatively support the electronic device on a
surface.
Inventors: |
Wang; Jin-Xin (Shenzhen,
CN), Fu; Chao-Zhong (Shenzhen, CN), Li;
Jian (Shenzhen, CN), Yuan; Li-Jun (Shenzhen,
CN) |
Assignee: |
Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry
(ShenZhen) Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen, CN)
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (New Taipei,
TW)
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Family
ID: |
41723196 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/335,617 |
Filed: |
December 16, 2008 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20100050383 A1 |
Mar 4, 2010 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Aug 29, 2008 [CN] |
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2008 1 0304310 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/176.1;
248/309.1; 248/142; 248/222.11; 248/176.3; 248/371; 16/343 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16M
11/10 (20130101); Y10T 16/538 (20150115); Y10T
16/5404 (20150115); F16M 2200/041 (20130101); Y10T
16/5385 (20150115); F16M 2200/08 (20130101); Y10T
16/5389 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
F16M
11/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;248/176.1,176.3,133,454,122.1,371,372.1,292.13,291.1,917,918,142,222.11,222.12,920,922,923,274.1,309.1
;16/321,342,340,328,330,336,337 ;261/679.01
;361/679.01,679.02,679.43 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2531429 |
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Jan 2003 |
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CN |
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374744 |
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Nov 1999 |
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TW |
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M266685 |
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Jun 2005 |
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TW |
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200735658 |
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Sep 2007 |
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TW |
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M333751 |
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Jun 2008 |
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TW |
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Primary Examiner: Epps; Todd M
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Altis Law Group, Inc.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An electronic device, comprising: a frame having a protrusion
formed at an edge of the frame and bending towards a front side of
the frame; a hinge assembly comprising a pivot unit, a connecting
bracket fixed to the frame and a rotatable bracket rotatably
assembled with the connecting bracket via the pivot unit; an arched
support rotatably connected to the frame via the hinge assembly,
the support comprising a connecting portion fixed to the rotatable
bracket and a supporting portion slanted to the connecting portion
along a direction away from the corresponding protrusion of the
frame; and a connecting member fixed to the frame; the connecting
member forms at least one latching portion for latching with the at
least one connecting bracket to connect the connecting member and
the at least one connecting bracket, wherein, the connecting
bracket defines a pivot hole; the pivot unit comprises a shaft, a
torsion elastic member, and a tube; the shaft passes through the
tube, the pivot hole of the connecting bracket, and is fixed to the
rotatable bracket; the connecting bracket is rotatably sleeved on
the shaft, the torsion elastic member is sleeved on the tube and
assembled between the rotatable bracket and the connecting bracket
for providing a force pulling the frame and the support to move
towards each other, wherein the protrusion of the frame and the
support cooperatively support the electronic device on a
surface.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the frame and the
support cooperatively form an inverted "Y" shape; a center of
gravity of the frame is between the support portion and the
protrusion.
3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the elastic member is
a torsion elastic member providing a torsion force between the
frame and the support.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one
latching portion of the connecting member comprises a blocking wall
and a latching slot; the at least one connecting bracket comprises
a base; a part of the base is inserted in the latching slot and
resists the blocking wall.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the frame defines a
receptacle for receiving the connecting member.
6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the shaft comprises a
flange, a first shaft portion, and a second shaft portion having a
diameter smaller than a diameter of the first shaft portion, a
threaded portion is formed at a distal end of the second shaft
portion; the tube is sleeved on the first shaft portion of the
shaft together with the torsion elastic member, the second shaft
portion of the shaft is inserted into the limiting washer, the
pivot hole of the connecting bracket, and the rotary bracket in
that order; the hinge assembly further comprises a resilient member
for providing an axial force, and a fastening member; the resilient
member is sleeved on a distal end of the second shaft portion of
the shaft; the fastening member is screwed on the threaded portion
of the shaft.
7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the pivot unit of the
hinge assembly further comprises a limiting washer sleeved on the
shaft, the limiting washer is non-rotatable relative to the shaft;
the limiting washer forms a tab at an edge; the connecting bracket
defines a cutout at an edge to rotatably engage with the tab.
8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the elastic member has
two positioning ends; the rotary bracket and the connecting bracket
both define a positioning hole; the positioning ends of the elastic
member are fixed in the positioning holes of the rotary bracket and
the connecting bracket.
9. An electronic device, comprising: a frame having a protrusion
formed at an edge of the frame and bending towards a front side of
the frame; an arched support comprising a connecting portion and a
supporting portion slanted to the connecting portion along a
direction away from the corresponding protrusion of the frame; and
a hinge assembly comprising a rotatable bracket fixed to the
connecting portion of the arched support and two pivot units
positioned at opposite sides of the rotatable bracket thereby
rotatably connecting the frame and the arched support together,
each pivot unit comprising a shaft, a limiting washer, a torsion
elastic member, a tube sleeved on the shaft, a connecting bracket
fixed to the frame and a fastening member, the connecting bracket
defining a pivot hole and a cutout, the shaft passing through the
pivot hole of the connecting bracket and fixed to the rotatable
bracket thereby hinging the connecting bracket and the rotatable
bracket together, the connecting bracket rotatably sleeved on the
shaft, the torsion elastic member being sleeved on the tube and
positioned between the rotatable bracket and the connecting bracket
for providing a torsion force between the frame and the support to
move towards each other, wherein the limiting washer is
non-rotatably sleeved on the shaft, and forms a tab at an edge
thereof, the tab of the limiting washer is rotatably engaged in the
cutout of the connecting bracket; the protrusion of the frame and
the support cooperatively support the electronic device on a
surface, the electronic device further comprising a connecting
member fixed to the frame, the connecting member forming a latching
portion for latching with the connecting bracket to connect the
connecting member and the connecting bracket.
10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the frame and the
support are rotatably connected to each other; the frame and the
support cooperatively form an inverted "Y" shaped; a center of
gravity of the frame is between the support portion and the
protrusion.
11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the shaft comprises
a threaded portion formed at a distal end thereof, the pivot unit
further comprises a resilient member, the fastening member is
screwed on the threaded portion of the shafts; the resilient member
is sleeved on the shaft and sandwiched between the rotatable
bracket and the fastening member for providing an axial force.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to electronic devices and,
particularly, to an electronic device with a rotatable display
screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some electronic devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs),
are typically supported by stands. For example, an LCD usually
includes a display screen, a hinge assembly, and a stand. The hinge
assembly is positioned between the display screen and the stand. A
viewing angle of a display screen of the LCD is adjustable relative
to the stand, so that users can view the display screen from
different positions.
The hinge assembly includes two components rotatable relative to
each other. One component is connected to the display screen and
the other component is connected to the stand. The hinge assembly
and the display screen are both supported by the stand. An external
force may be applied to the display screen, such that the display
screen rotates relative to the stand to change the viewing
angle.
However, if the display screen is rotated through a large angle,
the center of gravity of the display screen may change. Thus, the
display screen may fall over if the display screen is too
heavy.
Therefore, a new electronic device is desired to overcome the
above-described shortcomings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale,
the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the
principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings,
like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout
several views, and all the views are schematic.
FIG. 1 is an assembled, isometric view of one embodiment of an
electronic device, the electronic device including a display
screen, a connecting member, a hinge assembly, and a support.
FIG. 2 is a partially exploded, isometric view of the electronic
device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the connecting member, the hinge
assembly, and the support of the electronic device of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
The present electronic device may be display devices and integral
computers, such as computers with display screens and host
computers positioned in an integrally frame, and so on. Referring
to FIG. 1, for the purposes of conveniently describing the present
electronic device, one embodiment of a display device 100 is
described and illustrated.
Referring also to FIG. 2, one embodiment of the display device 100
includes a display screen 10, a connecting member 20, a hinge
assembly 30, and a support 40.
The display screen 10 includes a frame 11 and a display module (not
shown) assembled in the frame 11. The frame 11 includes two
elongated protrusions 112 formed at an edge of the frame 11. The
protrusions 112 bend towards one side of the frame 11. The frame 11
further defines a receptacle 114 to receive the connecting member
20. The receptacle 114 is defined above a position between the
protrusions 112.
Referring to FIG. 3, the connecting member 20 includes a
rectangular main sheet 21, a first connecting sheet 22, and three
second connecting sheets 23. The first connecting sheet 22 and the
second connecting sheets 23 extend perpendicularly from four sides
of the main sheet 21. An extending direction of the first
connecting sheet 22 is opposite to extending directions of the
second connecting sheets 23. The first connecting sheet 22 and the
second connecting sheets 23 define a plurality of connecting holes
(not labeled). The main sheet 21 forms two latching portions 213
adjacent to an edge of the main sheet 21 opposite to the first
connecting sheet 22. Each latching portion 213 includes a blocking
wall 2133 and a latching slot 2132. Two ends of each blocking wall
2133 may be formed from the main sheet 21. A main portion of each
blocking wall 2133 is spaced from the main sheet 21, thus defining
the corresponding latching slot 2132. In another embodiment, the
connecting member 20 and the frame 11 may be integrally formed.
The hinge assembly 30 includes a rotatable bracket 31 and two pivot
units 32 positioned at opposite sides of the rotary bracket 31.
Each pivot unit 32 includes a shaft 321, a limiting washer 322, a
torsion elastic member 323, a tube 324, a connecting bracket 325, a
resilient member 326, and a fastening member 327. In another
embodiment, the hinge assembly 30 may include only one pivot unit
32.
The rotary bracket 31 includes a main body 311, and two assembling
portions 313 formed at opposite sides of the main body 311. Each
assembling portion 313 defines a keyed hole 3132 and a positioning
hole 3134. The keyed hole 3132 may be a non-circular hole. The main
body 311 defines a plurality of assembling holes 3112 to fix the
rotary bracket 31 to the support 40.
The shaft 321 includes a flange 3210, a first shaft portion 3211,
and a second shaft portion 3213 having a diameter smaller than a
diameter of the first shaft portion 3211. A threaded portion 3214
is formed at a distal end of the second shaft portion 3213. A
cross-section of the second shaft portion 3213 corresponds to a
shape of the keyed hole 3132.
The limiting washer 322 may be substantially ring shaped and
defining a non-circular keyed hole 3221 in a center portion. A tab
3224 is formed at an edge of the limiting washer 322. In one
embodiment, the torsion elastic member 323 is a torsion spring. The
torsion elastic member 323 includes two positioning ends 3232,
3233. The tube 324 may be a hollow cylinder.
The connecting bracket 325 includes a base 3251, a bottom sheet
3252 extending substantially perpendicularly from an end of the
base 3251, a restricting sheet 3253, and an ear 3254. The
restricting sheet 3253 and the ear 3254 are substantially
perpendicularly formed from opposite sides of the base 3251. The
bottom sheet 3252 defines a plurality of assembling holes (not
labeled). The restricting sheet 3253 defines a pivot hole 3258 and
a cutout 3259 at an edge of the restricting sheet 3253. The ear
3254 defines a positioning hole (not labeled).
The resilient member 326 includes a plurality of resilient washers.
The resilient member 326 provides an axial force. The resilient
member 326 may be a helical spring or a rubber component, for
example. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastening member 327 is
a nut.
The support 40 includes an arched main frame 41 and an enhancing
portion 42 to strengthen the support 40. The main frame 41 may be
made of plastic and the enhancing portion 42 may be made of metal.
The main frame 41 includes a connecting portion 412 and a
supporting portion 413 slanted to the connecting portion 412. The
connecting portion 412 forms an assembling portion 414. The
assembling portion 414 defines a plurality of assembling holes
415.
The tubes 324 are sleeved on the first shaft portions 3211 of the
shafts 321, and the torsion elastic members 323 are sleeved on the
tubes 324. The second shaft portions 3213 of the shafts 321 are
inserted into the keyed holes 3221 of the limiting washers 322, the
pivot holes 3258 of the connecting brackets 325, the keyed holes
3132 of the rotary bracket 31, and the resilient members 326. The
fastening members 327 are screwed on the threaded portion 3214 of
the shafts 321. The positioning holes 3232, 3233 of each torsion
elastic member 323 are fixed in a corresponding positioning hole
3134 of the rotary bracket 31 and the positioning hole of a
corresponding connecting bracket 325. The tab 3224 of each limiting
washer 322 is rotatably engaged in the cutout 3259 of a
corresponding connecting bracket 325. The resilient member 326 is
compressed. The shafts 321, the rotary bracket 31, and the limiting
washers 322 are non-rotatable to each other, and are rotatable
relative to the connecting brackets 325. As such, the hinge
assembly 30 is assembled.
The connecting member 20 is fixed to the frame 11 of the display
screen 10. The rotary bracket 31 of the hinge assembly 30 is fixed
to the assembling portion 412 of the support 40. The bases 3251 of
the connecting brackets 325 are inserted in the latching slots 2132
of the latching portions 213 of the connecting member 20 from a
bottom side and protrude out of the latching slots 2132 towards an
upper side, and resist the blocking walls 2133. A plurality of
screws are engaged in the connecting holes of the first connecting
sheet 22 of the connecting member 20 and the bottom sheets 3252 of
the connecting brackets 325. As such, the connecting brackets 325
are fixed to the connecting member 20. The supporting portion 413
of the support 40 and the protrusion 112 of the display screen 10
point towards opposite directions, thus forming an inverted "Y"
shaped stand. When the display device 100 is placed on a surface,
the supporting portion 413 of the support 40 and the protrusion 112
of the display screen 10 are supported by the surface. A viewing
angle of the display screen 10 may be adjusted by applying an
external force on a top edge of the frame 11, such that the rotary
bracket 31 and the support 40 rotate relative to the frame 11, the
connecting brackets 325, and the connecting member 20. The
supporting portion 413 of the support 40 and the protrusions 112 of
the display screen 10 move away from each other.
Since the supporting portion 413 of the support 40 and the
protrusion 112 of the display screen 10 form an inverted "Y" shaped
stand, a center of gravity of the display screen 10 will always be
between the supporting portion 413 and the protrusion 112 at all
display angles. In addition, in one embodiment, few screws are used
to fix the connecting brackets 325 to the connecting member 20,
because the bases 3251 of the connecting brackets 325 are engaged
in the latching slots 2132 of the latching portions 213 of the
connecting member 20. Therefore, assembling and disassembling the
hinge assembly 30 and the support 40 to the display screen 10 is
very simple and convenient.
Finally, while various embodiments have been described and
illustrated, the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited
thereto. Various modifications can be made to the embodiments by
those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and
scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *